Arrgghhhh

[CNS-southwest]

My missus mum has been saying to my missus today how she doesn't think this is a good idea for me, ill be dead all winter and won't earn enough to look after the family.

The missus tried to explain it would be fine and I will be building it up slowly and moving across.

She continued o say how rain makes widows dirty etc etc. and how I can't afford to spend money on stuff (even though all I now need is a longer Harris pole and ladders( I have some I can use for now))

This is all based on her window cleaner talking to her and saying how he doesn't clean windows in the rain, how business

is quiet, and how this area is tough for business. He's an old boy and I get the feeling he expects calls to come in an isn't one to canvas. Etc

When will people learn /emoticons/sad.png

Feel like I have no support at all.

Just out of interest, honestly how many customer do you lose each winter?

 

[Posh]

To be honest never lost 1 touchwood

 

[M.K Cleaners.co.uk]

I worked for someone for 6 years cleaning windows. Every year we would lose customers not alot, or they would change frequency.

We never advertised, canvassed or anything like that. If we got new work it was from someone seeing us in the street. They only got the van sign written about 18 months ago. From what Ive herd there not doing to well.

Ive picked up more work (money wise) this month that I have any other month since I started. Were not even half way through this month yet. I dont canvass any-more purely because I dont want to and im finding I still get work through my advertising.

If you do some of the ideas you suggested in earlier topics banners, flyers etc and do some canvassing you wont be long in having a good round built up.

My family and so called friends all thought I would fail and never gave much support either. Keep your chin up and just go for it to be honest. If your determined you will make a scucess of it.

p.s I would call your missus mum and tell her to shut up.

I know shes only looking out for her daughter etc but shes cleary got to you. Wont be that when she wants a free window clean lol.

 

[CNS-southwest]

not sure she has trusted me for a long time tbh.

trust me, she wont be getting any window cleaning, car cleaning or anything like that from me!

cheers for the vote of confidence /emoticons/smile.png

 

[mark m]

I loss a lot as a lot approx 20 maybe more a lot of mine are hoilday lets so they dont use me over the winter but i dont worry to much as it is always a lot harder to get round in winter . When i lived in shepperton were you come from i never had that problem i am sure you will do well

 

[laddergarder]

Yeah that all rings a familiar bell to me. They think they are trying to help, but negative people like that are just a hindrance. My wife gave me endless support, and I probably wouldn't be doing this today if it wasn't for her. Put positive people behind you, even if that just means, getting a little advice on here now and then. Also that old windy, is probably thinking I don't want someone else in my area, so I will say no its a terrible living. Look at the facts, he probably being doing it all his life, so its not that bad.

I can tell you, I have been through 6/7 winters now, and started my business just before winter. I manage just, fine. Your not going to loss all your work. As long as you inform your customers that its an all year round service, you wont have any problems. In fact I have picked up about 25 customers in that last two months, and currently have close to 800 on my books.

Its not easy, but you can make a good living.

As for loosing customers, You will loss a couple every now and then, all year round. People die, move house, or loss there job. That is life, but in my experience, I don't loss any noticeable large amounts of customers, over the winter, not more than I would expect at any other time of year anyway.

Best thing to do is distance you mother in law from it. Remember she knows nothing about the window cleaning business. Also, she could be attracting allot of rouge window cleaners, and my patch'ur'patch boys to your door. So tell her to stop talking to other window cleaners. Most will be a pleasant as pie, but unfortunately you get not so nice ones in any industry, that will cross the line.

Give it one year clean'n'simple, take her negative comments like fuel for your ambition. Make a point of proving her wrong. Canvas 20 hours a week if you can. You do that every week, for one year, and you'll be going back to her saying,

"how wrong were you, I am now earning over £600 a week" :lol:

 

[Dodger]

Ya got to rise above it mate, you'll succeed if you want to so just keep going /emoticons/smile.png

 

[rcproperty]

do what i do, go out there and prove them wrong, when my family-in-law are like that it helps push me more to get out there and to prove them wrong, the soon shut up when you tell them that you had a good night and got an £1200 pay rise a year by just picking 10 customers up at £10 each!

or even think f@@k them this forum is the family now! lol

 

[harunh]

i lost a few this winter.... but the people who drop u in the winter are the bad customers /emoticons/smile.png

it takes time to build a good round so u got to weed out all the bad customers and replace them with better customers /emoticons/smile.png

i lost 3 customers today and gained 1

lol

no 1 knows about window cleaning business in your family better then u /emoticons/tongue.png so just ignore them ... people in my family also said the same i just brushed it off lol

 

[CNS-southwest]

Cheers guys, you All been a real help /emoticons/smile.png

It was/is fueling me.

Still can't wait to get cracking

 

[nearlyclean]

Some just dont understand but I think august is the slow month and building up to christmas most want the insides cleaned, even had a few that I clean at the start of december ask me if I pop back a few days before chrismo so they are gleaming for when the relatives come.

I started a few years ago in the september heading into winter and never had a problem finding work.

 

[M.K Cleaners.co.uk]

Cheers guys, you All been a real help /emoticons/smile.png

It was/is fueling me.

Still can't wait to get cracking

Dont go cracking her head, Just tell her to shut up. We dont want to see you in jail haha

 

[CNS-southwest]

Dont go cracking her head, Just tell her to shut up. We dont want to see you in jail haha

lol mate

 

[rshorland]

That window cleaner that talked to your mother in law mighty have only said those things knowing she will discourage you from taking the jump because he feels threatened you will be better than him and take his work.

 

[CNS-southwest]

forgot to mention that her window cleaner mentioned all this before she knew i was thinking of doing window cleaning lol

 

[harunh]

if u run the business properly it can be very profitable /emoticons/smile.png

some dont and some do

 

[CNS-southwest]

if u run the business properly it can be very profitable /emoticons/smile.png

some dont and some do

yer you gota be dedicated

 

[CNS-southwest]

I can't shake this anoying feeling o her nagging about it, even though she hasn't mentioned it since and didn't really nag. Makes me doubt myself even though I have no reason to, I think so far I do a good job so I don't think there will be any problems keeping business.

Half f me is more determined, the other half is slightly doubtful

 

[rcproperty]

I can't shake this anoying feeling o her nagging about it, even though she hasn't mentioned it since and didn't really nag. Makes me doubt myself even though I have no reason to, I think so far I do a good job so I don't think there will be any problems keeping business.

Half f me is more determined, the other half is slightly doubtful

dont let them sort of people win! always keep fighting and doing what you want to do, as long as you happy and you feel that you are doing the right thing then no need to worry!

 

[harunh]

cns u should do welll cos you seem very determined mate /emoticons/smile.png

 

[CNS-southwest]

Thanks guys,

Hope I do /emoticons/smile.png

In designing all my flyers at the moment. So nearly all set to go.